River Tees Drainage Baisin

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Introduction

River Tees Drainage Baisin The river Tees flows from the Pennines in Cumbria, northwest England, to the North Sea via Tees Bay. Its length is 130 km / 80 miles. Its port, Teesport, handles in excess of 42 million tonnes of water per year. Its main tributaries are the Lune, Balder, and Greta. There are many factors affecting the drainage baiins of the River Tees, many of these are human factors. Water Barrage and Watersports: Much of the water nearing the sea is polluted with industrial waste, sewage, and chemicals. The Tees Barrage, which opened in 1995, enables a 16 km / 10 mile stretch of the river to provide clean, non-tidal water. The barrage was built to improve the river's watersports facilities by stabilising a stretch of the river which was previously tidal. Four flood gates are operated by hydraulic pistons making sure the river upstream stays at a constant level. ...read more.

Middle

There are several reservoirs in the river basin used to store water to be used for later use. The reservoirs also helps in flood control. Water levels can rise very quickly following a rain storm. Storing water in the reservoir reduces flooding in the lower course. Farming and Irigation Water: A major land uses in the upper Tees is rough grazing for sheep. The land is too steep to use machinery, the growing season too short and the soils too thin and acidic For growing crops and so not much water is needed for irigation in comparison to the River Severn. Only where the land is less steep is the pasture improved by fertilizers, the occasional crop is grown, requiring some irigation water from the Tees. Hydro Electric power: There are no power plants along the Tees. There are also many natural factors affecting the hydrology of the River Tees drainage basin, these include: Geology: There is a succession of falls, ...read more.

Conclusion

The roots of trees also bring water up into the tree removing from the ground store, and this water then evaporates from the leaves, a process called transpiration. The canopy also provides shade keeping the ground cool, reducing evaporation. The trees and the roots are also a physical barrier slowing the movement of water. This all changes the amount of water entering the river and the speed at which it enters. Relief: The head of the valley, of which the upper portion is known as Teesdale, has many hills, exceeding 2500 feet in height at some points, consisting of bleak moorland. Water will flow off of these hills into the river increasing the volume of water entering the river. This area has little vegetation further increasing the speed that the water enters the river. There are many areas of steep decents and so the are area with waterfall and rapids in the rivers. This means the water is travelling through the river at high speed and so has little time to infiltrate in surface into the ground store. ...read more.

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